Canadian growth industry: we don't have to go to some drought-stricken corner of Africa to find hunger; it's right here in our own neighbourhoods. (Food -- Hunger At Home).

Canada's first food bank opened in 1981. Twenty years later there were at least 615 food banks in the country, and more than 2,200 other agencies involved in feeding hungry Canadians in one way or another.

Most food banks in Canada are staffed by volunteers. Most receive no government or United Way funding and rely entirely on the generosity of people in the community.

Food banks supply people with free emergency food, usually enough to last three to six days, and usually people are allowed only one visit per month. Some food banks offer less food for fewer days, and sometimes they have to turn clients away empty handed.

Almost everyone who goes to a food bank does so because of hunger. In March 2000, 726,902 people received groceries from food banks in Canada. That number comes from the Canadian Association of Food Banks, which does an annual survey of food bank usage. In March 1989, the Association says 378,000 Canadians used food banks. So, in 11 years, during a period of strong economic growth, the number of people using food banks almost doubled.

Certainly, there are a few cheats getting free food when they could afford to pay for it but, by all accounts, it is a small number. Food banks are careful about to whom they hand out food, and work at focussing their efforts on only those who are truly needy.

If we assume there is a correlation between the number of food bank users and the number of undernourished people in Canada, this would mean that about 2.5% of Canadians go hungry at least some of the time. However, food bank workers believe that using the number of people they serve as a measure of hunger, understates the problem. A lot of people won't go to food banks because of pride; they don't want to be seen accepting "hand outs." There's support for this from a Statistics Canada study. The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth in 2000 found that many hungry people turn to friends and family for help, or just don't eat, rather go to a food bank.

Some information is known about the kind of people who use food banks:

* Almost 40% are under the age of 18;

* 62% are receiving social assistance (welfare);

* Nearly 14% are employed; and,

* The percentage of seniors using food banks in Toronto doubled between 1995 and 2001.

The Canadian Association of Food Banks estimates that, "Between 8% and 10% of Canadians experience hunger or are at risk of hunger." In its 2000 annual report, the Association says this number is conservative.

Even the millions of kilos of food distributed by these agencies don't meet the need. In a study in Edmonton, 48% of food bank recipients reported difficulty meeting the nutritional needs of their children at least some of the time. For them, there is a next-to-last resort.

Hungry people can get free meals from churches, hostels, and other charities. Many of the people getting their food this way are homeless. There aren't any reliable national statistics on free meals, but it is likely that soup kitchens, shelters, and other agencies serve tens of millions of meals each year. The last resort, if you don't count dumpster diving, is hunger.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES:

1. In a phone-in show on CBC-Radio one woman said she had quit volunteering at her local food bank. She said that by continuing to donate her time and energy she felt she was helping her government escape its obligations to the community. She said food banks were set up to provide temporary, emergency help during hard times, but they have now become a permanent feature of all communities. Their presence makes it easier for government to cut back on social program spending. Discuss.

2. Canada has an "Action Plan for Food Security," which says, in part, that it is "Canada's response to the (1996) World Food Summit commitment made by the international community to reduce by half the number of undernourished people no later than the year 2015." In June 2001, Toronto dry councillors signed a "Food Charter," which said, "Every Toronto resident should have access to an adequate supply of nutritious, affordable, and culturally appropriate food." But, at a time when governments at all levels are cutting taxes, how are these statements going to be backed up? Invite politicians to your class to explain.

FACT FILE

In Canada's richest city, Toronto, 140,000 people use food banks every month.

Websites

Canada's Action Plan for Food Security http://www.agr.ca/misb/ fsb/fsap/fsape.html

Canadian Association of Food Banks http://www.icomm.ca/cafb/

HEALTHY EATING

For poor people, the biggest challenge is getting enough protein from meat, and fish, because these foods are expensive. Carbohydrates (pasta, potatoes, bread, etc.) are cheap and filling, so they tend to form a higher proportion of the diets of poor people.

Nutritionists are constantly telling us to eat more fruits and vegetables, particularly those that are dark green and orange. Dairy products are important in providing protein and calcium, but we should choose the lower-fat option. Grains give us fibre, minerals, and vitamins, but the healthiest choice is the whole grain rather than processed; that means brown rice is more nutritious than white and multi-grain bread is a better choice than most white breads.